Movie studio Warner Bros. has defended cutting an exchange of dialogue in the latest Fantastic Beasts movie for the film’s release in China.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore again looks at the early life of the Harry Potter character, Albus Dumbledore (played by Jude Law).
This is the third movie in a planned five-movie franchise and the first one in which Dumbledore is explicitly depicted as gay.
That poses problems for Warner Bros, who are counting on the film to perform well in international territories for it to turn a healthy profit.
The lines of dialogue axed from China run for six seconds, according to Variety. They allude to a previous relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald (played by Mads Mikkelsen).
The specific lines are “because I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love”. The cuts were made at the request of authorities in China.
“The spirit of the film remains intact”
Warner Bros has defended the edit.
“As a studio, we’re committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors,” the company said in a statement to Variety.
“Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets.”
“In the case of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact.
“We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits.”
Related: WATCH: The gay moment you probably missed in the new ‘Fantastic Beasts’ trailer
According to Variety, the future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise hangs very much on the performance on this third outing.
The first Fantastic Beasts movie grossed $800million globally. The sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, took $650million and was not so well received by critics and audiences.
It’s believed that Warner Bros. tried to reduce the budget for the third movie but the Covid pandemic resulted in setbacks and increases in costs. Also, the franchise has been hit by notable controversies.
Actor Johnny Depp previously played Grindelwald but was replaced by Mikkelsen for this movie after his failed libel trial against The Sun newspaper in the UK. Queer actor Ezra Miller, who also features, was recently arrested for disorderly conduct in Hawaii and was yanked from any promotion of the movie.
Related: JK Rowling gets a glowing review by Vladimir Putin for her vile transphobic leanings
Perhaps overshadowing both of these is that the movie’s creator, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, has increasingly divided people with her staunch criticism of extending rights for trans people. Insiders are wondering if Warner Bros. will ditch the franchise if this latest movie doesn’t come close to matching its predecessor: a tall order considering only five movies have taken more than $500million in the post-pandemic moviegoing era.
It’s already known the movie will not get a release in Russia because of the war in Ukraine. Expect similar cuts as those made in China to also be wielded for many parts of the Middle East.
The movie gets its US release on Friday (April 15).
Jim
In-market !!factors
Remember it’s show BUSINESS
It’s not art!
skeldare
The fact that they only had to cut 6 seconds shows how insignificant it was anyway.
Brian
That’s poor rationale. Lots of movies have important twists that occur in just a quick moment. This is one of those cases. The series tries to set up that their past relationship impacted their future. Removing that detail does change the story.
But I do get a kick out of your thinking. You could remove “I see dead people” and The Sixth Sense is still the exact same movie! Cut out the bit showing Sandra Bullock walking onto sand, and Gravity is the same whether she lands or not. Scenes are only important if they’re 20 minutes long or longer.
Chrisk
Somehow I don’t think enough people are divided over JK Rowling’s politics to make Warner Brothers notice. I’d say most people know outside of Queerty.
bachy
If they’re going to cut dialogue, they should start by eliminating the names for at least half of the “spells” and incantations. It’s nothing but a lot of gibberish attempting to mask the lack of a legitimate plot.
radiooutmike
If you have a movie with spell casting you are going to need incantations, the inclusion has nothing to do with the lack of a plot.
Donston
Honestly, I don’t think “queers” care. JK has already become persona non grata for many. And one scene with one line of dialogue that hints towards a same-sex relationship is almost as half-hearted as the movie.
Creamsicle
Yeah let’s not rewrite history. Rowling only revealed Dumbledore’s orientation after the series was finished to a room full of die hard fans. She didn’t make some big stand against homophobia. She was queer baiting, but without the bait. She just handed her fans a gay fish.
marion
JK Rowling has not ‘increasingly divided people with her staunch criticism of extending rights for trans people’. She has alienated an extremely vocal minority hell bent on eradicating female identity.
prizmaltima1
how sad to think “female” identity 1. depends on a vagina or 2. that there is a shared “female” identity among all “females” that someone could eradicate. you tell me, what are the markers of this universal identity?
johncp56
spineless
jt1990
Warner bros had to edit the part out or china wouldn’t allow the film at all. One of the many joys of a communist dictatorship!!